During the field phase, Martina and Vittorio created a detailed plan for the nine days available. "I had to make sure that everyone involved, and especially Vittorio, who was leading the Design Thinking process on site, really understood the “why” behind each of the Design Thinking steps. This is the only way to deal with unexpected changes in practice," said Martina, who was unable to take part in the fieldwork herself.
On the ground: innovating and co-creating in Ghana
"This project was special," recalls Laura Arribas of Archipel&Co. “From the outset, it was clear that everyone on the team was equally involved, and the excitement was palpable.”
The core team was international and multidisciplinary – the perfect set-up for Design Thinking: Laura (originally from Spain) and Justin (originally from the United States), Vittorio (originally from Italy), the Ghanaian research group El-Parah with Reuben (project lead), Henry (recruiter) and Jumima (translator), Richard and Rachel from the Ghanaian NGO Total Family Health Organization.
Team dynamics turned upside down
What changed the nature of teamwork at first glance was the "check-in" with the team at the beginning of each day and the "check-out" at the end – two steps that play an important role in the Design Thinking process. "Both steps made an enormous difference for the research and especially for the team dynamics," says Vittorio. Check-in was especially important for the human connection in the team, while check-out was helpful for our reflection and synthesis.
In typical field trips, Vittorio had the role of the researcher leading the project and sharing his interpretations only during the debriefing with the team. “It's as if the researcher almost magically gains insights from random conversations – and rarely could we see how that happens. This time, however, we did it together. I included everyone because I needed their insights and commitment to the entire Design Thinking process. As a result, the team was much more engaged; it was also their project.”
Building bridges – intercultural collaboration at its best
Jumima, who was originally only intended as a translator, changed completely during the project. "When she realized that we appreciated her opinion (and not just her translation) and that we wanted her as part of the team, she really opened up," says Vittorio. In doing so, she did much more than translate the language and was able to bridge the intercultural divide in a much more empathetic way. "You could see her confidence growing day by day. Without the ownership she has taken, the whole team would never have been as successful," says Vittorio.
The interviews: how do you talk about a sanitary situation?
To understand the situation regarding health care and the problem of open defecation, the team had to talk to many different people and interest groups. The focus was on the different target groups. Both women and men were of great interest, with a focus on their role within the family, their dreams for the future, their fears, but also their needs in terms of sanitation and their decision-making power within the family.
Furthermore, the homeowners were an interesting target group. Since Ghana is a deeply religious country where a collective culture is lived, the team also wanted to talk to religious leaders, village elders and chiefs to gain a better understanding of the issue.
Empathy: The guiding principle of all qualitative research, and for this project in particular.
A high degree of empathy is always required in the first two phases of the Design Thinking process, "understanding" and "observing." In this project, empathy was particularly important because it is a very sensitive topic. "There were also some tense moments. We made sure to build empathy and often justified our questions by saying that we are not Ghanaians and do not understand the topic well enough. We also found analogies between things that happen in our lives and in theirs," said Vittorio.
Remote coaching at its best
During the project, something happened that Vittorio later described as "the second wave of trust." The first wave of trust in Design Thinking arose when Martina presented the method and the way of thinking. Then, halfway through the project, he reached out to Martina and sent her the interim reports and part of the synthesis.
"When I received her comments on my work, I experienced the second wave of trust. I understood that some of the steps within the method had to be followed exactly, and I noticed the difference it made when you did," said Vittorio.
Key insight: the role of women in addressing the sanitation challenge
One of the key insights was the role of women in solving the sanitation challenge. Women are the ones who feel the need for a hygienic sanitation solution the most, and they are the ones most affected when it is not provided. At the same time, they are usually not the ones who are allowed to make the final decision. This was always the husband's responsibility, even if the women in question had their own money. It's simply not their decision, because the issue of hygiene is strongly seen as a man's job.
Prototyping: “How could this have happened in just 20 minutes?”
"When it came to ideation and prototyping, it was almost like the moment of truth had arrived," recalls Vittorio. After all the interviews and insights gathering, we all started a creative ideation session, everyone was really involved, and we came up with new and actionable ideas.
"To be honest, I expected a long and boring qualitative briefing with lots of text ... instead there were human stories, images and prototyping. It was fun," Rachel sums up the day.
Justin from Archipel&Co added: "I have been to other prototyping sessions, but this one was particularly impactful. In just a few hours, we created three valid and promising prototypes that meaningfully reflect the days of research." Jumima from El-Parah adds: “And there was no need to repeat ourselves over and over again. The team was already on the same page.”
